We all have that one beauty product we’d buy vats of if we could (now, where some of us would store those vats in our tiny apartments is another story, but we don’t worry about details like that in fantasy world). In the case of our Spa Brand Manager Gillian, that product is laboratoire remède’s translucent uv coat.

Since she worships the featherweight SPF formula (I hear she has some sort of shrine to it in her bathroom, but that could just be a rumor), I asked her to elaborate on her love for it—and did she ever. Here’s what she had to say:

check out that spiffy new packaging!

“I’ve been using translucent uv coat for seven years. I love it because I’m not a foundation wearer, but it gives me a little coverage and just really evens out the tone of my skin. I don’t end up too shiny or matte, and it doesn’t clash with bronzer or powder if I add those to the mix. What makes it so special is that it’s not a heavy moisturizer—you can get light coverage/color and UV protection and still use your favorite moisturizer underneath. I love that it has SPF 30 so I can use it over a non-SPF moisturizer without feeling guilty.

I turned my friend onto it who has amazing, smooth, fair skin, and I can tell when she has it on—her skin just looks like porcelain perfection. Maybe it’s the soft-focusing powders. Now, of course she’s addicted too.”

Gillian could go on about it all day (believe me when I tell you that was just a snippet of the praise she lavished on this product). And after reading that, I bet you’re just a little bit curious to try it yourself if you haven’t already. Well, lucky you—there’s a way for you to try it free with this special spa offer:

Get a free translucent UV coat with any Laboratoire Remède purchase and/or Alchemy Facial through October 15.* (Shade availability may vary by location.)**

Now go get yours and make Gillian proud!

‘Skin’-cerely,

Miss Bliss

*Sorry, but this offer isn’t available at Bliss Ft. Lauderdale, Washington D.C. or Atlanta – Downtown.
**You’ll receive the original UV Coat packaging and formula with this offer, but keep in mind for future purchases that Laboratoire Remède has recently made some changes: the UV Coat bottle has a fresh new look, and the shades are now slightly darker, so longtime wearers should test before buying if possible.

Once in a while it’s nice to splurge on a pricey beauty buy (helloooooo creme de la mer 16.5oz!), but right now most of you beauties are pinching your pennies. Here are my top 5 favorite beauty bargains under $60.

1. Kate Somerville Anti Bacterial Clearing Lotion-perfect for breakout prone skin, it delivers the most advanced Benzoyl Peroxide formulation on the market (encapsulated and time-released so it’s not drying to the skin) $39

2. klein-becker instant deep wrinkle filler. Need an oil change-go to the mechanic. Need to fill in fine lines + wrinkles-go to StriVectin. ‘Nuff said!$59

3.
Laboratoire Remede UV coat SPF30 is my can’t-live-without-it tinted moisturizer. This UV coat has been on vacation with me, to the beach, to weddings, under my foundation, as my foundation, and everything in between. If UV coat were my boyfriend, I’d propose. It comes in 3 shades and 1 untinted shade so even your man can partake in the SPF action without looking like he was sifting through your makeup drawer.$40

4. ren glycolactic skin renewal peel mask is my favorite mask for when I’m getting in touch with my high-tech natural side. Ren is synthetic and petrochemical free with high tech bioactives that stimulate improvement in the skin without any harsh ingredients. Recommended for congested and mature skin, and works well on post acne scarring, blemishes and blackheads plus sun damaged skin. After just 2 months out on the market, this mask won InStyle’s best beauty buy for 2008. A must-have for every medicine cabinet.$55

5.
Bliss Best of Skintentions, a daily moisturizer with vitamins, minerals, omegas and SPF15 with a pa++ rating to protect the skin against UVA and UVB damage. It’s got a light citrus scent and leaves the skin with a primer-like finish for easy makeup application.$35

BEAUTY BONUS!
While this item caps out my $60 price point, the value is just too hard to resist. Freeze 24/7 daily essentials skincare system includes Includes 2-in-1 skin glacé daily detoxifying cleanser and mask (3.3 oz), resurfacing icecrystals anti-aging prep and polish (2.5 oz) and nourishing icecream double scoop intensive anti-aging moisturizer (1.7 oz). A $235 value for only $150

Finally! An easy to use, high-tech, innovative beauty solution!
Makeup mavens, get ready! Your makeup bag is about to get about 10 pounds lighter and your wallet is about to get fatter! Misture is a 6-in-1 Beauty Solution kit for natural looking beauty. The Mistura 6-in-1 Beauty Solution kit includes a lip balm, a retractable brush, the powder compact and Luminada, an illuminating moisturizer infused with Vitamin E and Green Tea that hydrates and illuminates the skin for a subtle glow.

When I heard about Mistura, my first reaction was “Too good to be true!” like the single Harvard-graduate-doctor-lawyer your Aunt Barbara has been telling you about for years. After playing with Mistura for a few days now, I’ve mastered the look and love the results. One-step easy application in 20 seconds or less and skin looks healthy and alive.

How it works:
Mistura’s formula is like the Miss Cleo of makeup (minus the faux accent). Mistura is heat-activated to match every skin tone and is good for every skin type. Mistura uses light refraction to diminish the appearance of blemishes, fine lines and wrinkles. Mistura mutes rosacea and evens out skin tones.

To use Mistura
Take your favorite brush (or use the one included in the kit) and dip ever so lightly into the powder. If you apply too much, you’ll look a little on year orange side, so just a dab will do ya! Brush upwards and blend well. Wait a minute or two for Mistura to match your skin tone and then apply the rest of your makeup as desired. If you’re used to a more full-coverage look, you can still wear your tinted moisturizer, mascara, eye liner, colored eye shadows, and even your favorite lip gloss if you want to.

Mistura is perfect for:
-travelers
-busy moms
-women who don’t wear a lot of makeup but who want a healthy glow.
-women who are always on the go
-women who walk into a beauty store and instantly want to hyperventilate.
-Teens/tweens who is just starting to play around in your makeup drawer

Bliss Kisses!
<3 Karen

I have Friday on the brain today.

On Friday, Donna gave some tips on how to have soft lips in the cold winter months. I want to share a couple of makeup tips so you’ll look positively radiant even when you’re bundled up like a snow bunny.

1-get lips that stand out-I have had a crush on this fusion beauty blingfusion lip plumper for a while now. How could you not want a lip gloss that is as glitzy as you are on a Friday night?

I love the pigment of Fusion Beauty’s lip glosses-the pigment is really beautiful (not sheer like most lip gloss) BONUS: they’re not sticky, so you won’t get that glue-trap feeling that you get from some other lip plumpers. This particular shade also makes your teeth look whiter.

2-glow from head to toe-laboratoire remède’s soft focusing lotion is a fan and makeup artist favorite. It’s a light-diffusing liquid that adds a subtle glow from head to toe without looking glittery. You can layer on alone, or mix with foundation. This product is every bride’s best friend. If you are getting married, this must be in your makeup tool box for the big day.


My 2 favorite ways to wear it:
For Legs: I blend Soft Focusing lotion with lemon + sage body butter and put it onto my legs. The light-diffusing powders catch the light and instantly draw your eye to the middle of the leg, which makes you look longer and leaner. I’m only 5′1″ so I need all the help I can get looking a little taller.

For Decolette: apply from collarbone to cleavage to illuminate your skin and give a subtle, sexy glow. How low your top goes is up to you, but your skin will look smooth and positively radiant.

Soft Focusing Lotion photographs beautifully, so feel free to wear it in the corners of your eyes to brighten dark circles or over your foundation. A little goes a long way and the tube dispenses the liquid quickly, so don’t get excited with the bottle!

3. Take your makeup from day to night in a flash-Tarte makes the best palettes. Tarte Eye Courure Day-To-Night Palette is purse-friendly and has TEN eye shadows to get you from the office to the party in no time. Plus, the formulas are bursting with Tarte’s Skinvigorating™ ingredients (mineral pigments, tourmaline, vitamin E and coconut oil are just a few), and are free of additives like parabens, sulfate and synthetic dyes. Maureen Kelly, if you read this, I love you! You are the best thing to happen to makeup since the eyelash curler.

Is it Friday yet? I’m ready for a night on the town!
Bliss Kisses <3 Karen

Good morning, beauties! On Friday I said that this week was going to be the focus on hair removal. My mistake! NEXT week is going to focus on hair removal. I have my days, weeks, months, and years mixed up. I have truly been moving way too fast lately and needed to take a breather [thus, no posts over the weekend]. Now I know what day it is (Monday), what date it is (Jan 12), and it’s definitely 2009 no matter what I keep writing on my checks. In the meantime, keep those hair removal questions coming!

Today I want to focus on how-to look gorgeous and well-rested even if you have a case of the Mondays (or Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays!) in under 10 minutes.

My quick fix for dull, tired skin
I know I’ve professed my love for the triple oxygen mask before, but I have to give it the love it truly deserves. Did you know that this mask won the Best of Sephora award for “Skin Savior” in 2008? Triple oxygen mask oxygenates and energizes the skin, and the beautiful citrus scent and the instant foaming action really wakes up the senses. [Not as much as my triple grande sugar-free vanilla soy latte, but it does the trick]. I wish I could show you what the mask looks like. If you saw it/felt it you’d be totally hooked. Once the mask hits your skin, it instantly foams up and you’ll look like Frosty the Glow Girl in 5 minutes flat.

My quick fix for dark circles
Dark circles are my arch nemesis. Even if I’ve slept for 14 hours I still look tired. Smashbox photo op under eye brightener is my makeup BFF. It’s purse friendly/travel friendly, so I take it with me wherever I go. A little dab on the inner corner of my eyes immediately brightens and illuminates the area, taking the attention away from my raccoon eyes. Dark circles are cute on these furry friends, but not on me!

Happy Monday! Get ready to Say ‘farewell’ to Bush next week. Book your signature brazilian bikini wax online or call 877 TO BLISS to book your appointment. And don’t forget to mention the code “farewell to Bush” at checkout for 20% off!

Bliss Kisses!
<3 Karen

Looking gorgeous on NYE is a no-brainer. There’ll be lip-locking at midnight, unforgiving digital cameras present (too much flash, not enough light, too many green apple martinis=bad photos), and a long night of whatever shenanigans you plan on participating in.

What’s a girl to do?
1. Stay hydrated. It’s going to be hot, you’re going to be dancing, and you’ll probably have some lovely beverage in your hand that isn’t water. This looks like a recipe for dehydration if I ever did see one. Beauty comes from within, ladies! I hate drinking plain water, but throw some kind of low-cal fruity flavor in it and I’m good to go. David Kirsch’s vitamin super juice does the trick for me.

2. Be prepared! There is nothing worse than dancing away and all of a sudden you’ve got a blister somewhere that leaves you limping for the rest of the night. The pirate look is out this season, sister! Problem Salved is a purse friendly (it will fit into my tiniest of clutches) beauty fix that does it all. It helps blisters, fly away hairs, unruly eyebrows, etc. Just don’t put it on your lips. I mean, you can, but try explaining to your midnight kiss why your breath smells like your shoes. Just sayin’…

3. Wear something flattering. We’ve all seen *that* girl who’s wearing something a little too small or a little too inappropriate even for New Year’s Eve. If you think your beloved grandmother would have a stroke if she saw you in that dress, give it to your niece for her Barbie and buy a new dress! Also, wardrobe malfunctions a la Janet Jackson are a no-no. Gather the girls, ladies! If I can keep my extra large bust under wraps, so can you.

4. Get ready for the morning after. Sure you looked great last night, but I know you’re not going to remember to remove your makeup when you get home. The next morning, do some damage control. I don’t tell many people about my little beauty….Baggage Handler is every party girl’s best friend. It de-puffs with cucumber and hydrates the under eye area with wheat proteins for long term hydration. Just what the doctor ordered for the morning after!

Bliss Kisses!
<3 Karen

It’s beginning to look a lot like Blissmas everywhere you glow!

I just got back from quite the shopping trip! I was feeling brave, so I got up early (8 o’clock on a Sunday is “early” in my world) and went in search of some gifts for my family. If you’re stuck and don’t know what to get your loved ones for the ’spa-lidays,’ our snow wonder body butter makes an excellent gift or stocking stuffer. It has a crisp, clean, scent that smells like freshly fallen snow. And, it has the most subtle shimmering quality to it on your skin. It’s perfect for applying right before you head out to a holiday party. You’ll glow without looking glittery. It’s ’snow’ wonder we brought it back this year for the holidays!

Speaking of holiday parties, this palette from tarte will have you looking party ready in five minutes flat. It’s cute, purse-friendly, and includes everything you need to take your eye makeup from office to party in no time. Don’t forget the makeup remover to go with it. Our lid + lash wash is an oil-free makeup remover that removes everything from your lid to lash in a flash.

Okay, I am off to wrap presents and eat some homemade chocolate chip cookies. Have fun shopping, ladies!

PS-if you enter code SHIP50 at checkout you’ll get a free bliss blue tote and *FREE SHIPPING!
(*see blissworld.com for details)

The ‘blissing’ link

“Why another beauty blog?” you ask. There are plenty of beauty blogs, but no ‘spa-thority’ voice on the internet. Bliss is a spa and skincare company. We use our products in our treatments, so we know they work because we use them on hundreds of lovelies like you every day. When you buy a Bliss product you’re bringing home a piece of our spa (sans the expert technician).

‘Bliss’ and Tell

We believe that secrets don’t make friends. We want to ‘bliss’ and tell so you can look ‘spa’-velous everyday from the inside out.

What to expect when the ‘spa-thorities’ get on the soapbox

We’d love to update this blog daily Mon-Fri. If we go ‘bliss’-ing in action, don’t be alarmed-we’re just working on updating our expert ‘spa’-mmentary so you get the full beauty brief. Without further ado, I would love to tell you a little about myself…..

Meet the Author

Thanks for stopping by! My name is Karen Glidden and I’m the web content coordinator for Bliss. I will be the primary author of Bliss n Tell. For all your beautification needs, please refer to blissworld.com

My background is not beauty related at all. I graduated from Boston University and worked at Starbucks for many years climbing their corporate ladder. Pre-Bliss, my idea of a milky cleanser was the residue left on my face after making cappuccinos all day. I’ve been with Bliss for just over a year now and have been converted into a product worshipper. I’m the MacGyver of skincare. I love inventing new uses to beauty products. You’ll find me putting toner on my legs to help with dry skin, wearing my glamour gloves on the subway to smooth my hands, and using skincare in my hair to tame flyaways. Oh, did I mention that I’m totally frugal. Yes, this little Bliss girl is a ‘recessionista’ for sure.

My skin type is normal. I’m not particularly breakout prone unless it’s stress related or hormonal. I’m not too oily, but sometimes dry all over depending on the weather. I’ve got an even skin tone and not too many fine lines, wrinkles, or hyperpigmentation. I have some sun damage from years of sun-worshipping sans SPF, my greatest skincare regret in life. My biggest skin concern are fine lines/wrinkles around my eyes and laugh lines around my mouth. Oh, and some uh….cellulite on my bum/thighs. Yes, I am human (you can stop pointing and laughing now, thanks!).

My Favorite Bliss Product: I can’t choose just one. It’s a tie between Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask and A Tan For All Seasons

Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask is my five minute beauty fix for just about everything (breakouts, dull/tired skin, dryness). A Tan For All Seasons is my best friend. It’s a stink-free tan in a can. I cannot live without a sun-kissed glow all year (without the UV damage, of course!)

Spreading the bliss

Please feel free to post questions and comments on this blog. We look forward to hearing from you! Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to Bliss Beaut-e-mail for special offers on products and spa treatments! See you soon!